Humidifier



Nov; 13, 1923. mmsm ,C. E. HENDRIX HUMIDIFIER Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

UNITE@ STATES [far nur/Limmen.

Application inea February 13, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. HENDRIX, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of .Iefierson City, county of Cole, State of h/Iissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Humidifiers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming apart of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in humiditiers and has for its object the production of a simple and inexpensive device which may be used in connection with a furnace, stove or other heating medium, whereby the heated air arising from said heating` medium is provided with moisture.

A very serious objection to the use of hot air as a means of heating the rooms of houses results from the fact that the air, which is passed through or over the hea-ting medium,

is unduly dried and thereby deprived of certain of its natural elements, thus affecting the healthful condition of the rooms into which said heated air is directed.

In the use of the device disclosed herein, the air, after being heated, passes in close proximity to a body of water, and by being commingled with the vapor arising from said water is again supplied with the natural elements of which it was deprived by being brought into contactwith the heat-producing element.

Y Another object is to produce a device of the kind disclosed herein, which includes automatic controlling means whereby the supply of water to said device is regulated., thus nfoviding a means for maintaining, at all times, a predetermined amount of water in the receptacle provided for that purpose.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing` wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. p

Fig. I is a side eleva-tion of a furnace of the hot air type, with the humidifier in place therein, a part of said furnace being broken away.

Serial No. 536,051.

Fig, II is a plan view of thehumidilier with the deflectors removed.

Fig. III is a longitudinal section through the humidifier, a port-ion of the pipe counectinf the evaporation receptacle and the supply receptacle being` shown in elevation.

Fig. IV is an inverted plan view of the deflectors.

.1"1g. V is an enlarged cross section through the liquid-condtuting member and the spi rally bent wire which supports same.

Fig. VI is an enlarged sectional detail of fragments of the defiectors showing the manner of connecting said deiiectors together.

Fig. VII is an enlarged sectional detail of fragments of the detlectors showing the manner of supporting said detlectors on the evaporation receptacle.

In the drawing, A designates a furnace preferably of the hot-air type which is provided with the usual'tire-pot B. In this type of furnace cold air is drawn into said furnace at a point close to the bottom thereof, said air then moving along said fire-pot B whereby it is heated, after which said air is conducted to the room or rooms which it. is desired to heat.

Supported in any suitable manner by the furnace A at a point adjacent to the upper portion thereof is my improved humidifier H, which comprises an evaporation receptacle l located within the furnace, preferably at a point innnediately above the re pot B and directly in the path of the upwardly moving current of heated air, and a supply receptacle 2, said evaporation receptacle l. and said supply receptacle 2 being in communication with each other through the use of a pipe 3, whereby liquid placed in the supply receptacle 2 is conducted to the evaporation. receptacle l.

rI`he supply receptacle 2 is intended as a vreservoir for the water to be conducted to the evapora-tion receptacle, and in towns and cities which are provided with water under pressure, a piped will connect said supply receptacle 2 with the city water system whereby water will be conducted to said supply receptacle without manual effort on the part of any of the occupants of the house in which the furnace is located. To automatically regulate the amount of water delivered to the supply receptacle 2 and to mantain at all times a predetermined amount of water therein, I employ a valve 5 which is secured to the end of the pipe l within the supply Y receptacle 2, the opening and closiiig ol? said valve beingcontrolled by a tloat' supported by the water within the receptacle 2. The float G is fixed to one "end of 'an operating arm 7, the opposite end ot said arm being' secured to the stein ot the valve 5. Thus it is apparent that when the water level within the supply receptacle 2 Ylalls, due 'toevapo r tion of some of the water in the evaporation receptacle l, said viloat G will drop, thereby opening the valve and permitting 'water to liow into said supply rreceptacle through the pipe 4l, and when said water has `again reached its proper level `in said supply receptacle, the valve 5 will be closed by thc corresponding rise of the float 6.

The evaporation receptacle l and the supply receptacle 2 are located in the same horizontal plane, and because said receptacles are in direct communication with each other, through the use ot the pipe water will flow from the supply receptacle to the evaporation receptacle and said water will attain corresponding levels in both receptacles.

To provide a means ior ausing the water Within the evaporation receptacle l to rise therein, so that the same will be brought more directly into the path ot' the heated air, I employ aI moisture-commeting meniber C, comprising a spirally arranged wire 8 which is enveloped `by an absorbent member 9, said member 9 being ot' tubular shape in `cross section, and its edges being` secured together by means ol stitches l0 (Fig. V). The absorbent member 9 envelopsjthe spiral wire 8 throughout `its length, and an end 9 of said absorbent member extends downwardly from the outer end ot said spiral wire 8, which downwardly extending end is submerged in the water within the evaporation receptacle, and because of the submerged end 9 the water within the receptacle will rise by capillary attraction and saturate all ot' the spirally arranged portion of said moisture-con d acting member 9g rllhe spirally arranged portion oli the moisture-conducting member is located adjacent to the upper edge ofthe evaporation receptacle l, said spiral portion being retained in that particular position by means of a plurality oftloats l1 which may be formed ot cork or other buoyant material, said floats being supported by the water in the receptacle l. The moisture-conducting member C is secured to the floats ll `by any suitable means, such, for instance, as staples Il (Fig. II), the legs of said staples straddling portions of said member C and being driven into said floats il, whereby said member C is secured to said floats 151.

To cause the heated air which passes in close proximity to 'the evaporation receptacle l to be directed against the moistureconducting member 9, I provide said evaporation receptacle l with deftlecto'rs l2 and The deflcctor l2 comprises an upwardly inclined annular band, which extends outwardly beyond the circumiierential wall oi" the receptacle l (Fig. III), and is provided means, andV each being provided with a curved .lower end portion adapted to engage the upper edge of the receptacle l (Fig, VII). The detlector 13 is located above the opening 15 in the detlector l)- 'a'nd comprises an imperlorate concave member supported by the detlector l2 by'means of a plurality ot supporting members 16;, one, end oteach of which is soldered-to the detiectoi l2 a'nd'the other end of each or' said Asupporting members being soldered to the detlector The operation Vot' my device is as tol'lowsf:

Assuming that the evaporation receptacle l contains water Vwhich has been placed and 'maintained therein inthe manner hei-einbetore described, said water will saturate the moisture-conducting member C llt'romend to end by being compelled 'to 'move therealong through capillary attraction, and because ot' vthe spirally arranged portion ot said moisture-conducting member a comparatively wide moiste'n'ed area will be presented. The heat "of the furnace will cause vapor to rise from the water in the receptacle l and from the saturated memberjC, and as the upwardly moving current of lheated air comes into Contact with the de'tlec'tor l2, said 'air will be directed 'inwardly'by the inclination of said detlector l2 and downwardly into said receptacle l, by the curved portion l2 thereof, and will there commingle with said` vapor, after which it vwill pass through the opening `l5 in the detlector andbe deflected outwardly by the detlector 13, and be conl ducted to the rooins it is desired to heat.

I claim: Y Y

l. A humidier comprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation lreceptacle, being'adapted to contain liquid, buoyant means supported 'by saidliquid, and absorent 'means within said receptacle, rsaid absorbent means being Vsupported by Vsaid buoyant means and being in lcontact with the liquid within said receptacle whereby saidl liquid is caused to travel alongV said absorbent means. p Y

2. A humidifiercomprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation receptacle beingadapted to contain liquid, and absorbent means spirally Varranged within said receptacle, a portion of said absorbent means being in Contact with said liquid to cause lill loo

said liquid to travel along said absorbent means.

A humidifier comprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to cont-ain liquid. and an ab sorbent means alo u g which said liquid travels, said means comprising a spirally arranged portion located adjacent to the uppei` edge ofsaid receptacle and a downwardly extending portion submerged in the liquidi in said receptacle. y

el. A humidifier comprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to contain liquid, buoyant means supported by said liquid, and an absorbent means supported by said buoyant means. said absorbent means comprising a spirally arranged portion located adjacent to the upper edge of said receptacle and a downwardly extending portion Vsubmerged in the liquid wit-hin said receptacle.

5. A humidifier comprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to contain liquid. and an absorbent nieans along' which said liquid travels. said means comprising a spirally arranged portion located adjacent to the upper edge of' said receptacle and a downwardly extending portion submerged in the liquid within said receptacle, said last mentioned means being provided with a plurality of floats which are supported by the liquid within the receptacle.

A humidifier comprising an evaporation receptacle, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to con-tain liquid, and means for causing said liquid to rise by capillary attraction toward the upper edge of said receptacle, said means comprising a spirally bent wire located adjacent to the upper edge of said receptacle, a fabric liquidconducting member enveloping said spirally bent wirc, one end of said liquid-conducting niember being submerged in the liquid within said receptacle and floats supported by said liquid e upon which said liquid conducting means rests.

7. A humidifier comprising an evaporation receptacle, adapted to receive a current of heated air, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to contain liquid, absorbent means within said receptacle along which said liquid travels and deflectors supported by said evaporation receptacle at the upper edge thereof and arranged one above the other, whereby said heated air is caused to pass in close proximity to said absorbent means.

S. A humidifier comprising an evapora tion receptacle adapted to receive a current of hea-ted air, said evaporation receptacle being adapted to contain liquid, means for causing said liquid to rise by capillary attraction toward the upper edge of said receptacle, said means comprising a spirally bent wire located adjacent to the upper edge of said receptacle, a fabric liquid-conducting member enveloping said spirally bent wire, one end of said liquid-conducting member being submerged in the liquid within said receptacle and floats whereby said means is supported. deflectors whereby said heated air is caused to pass in close proximity to said liquid-conducting member, a supply receptacle, and means including a float-controlled valve located within said supply receptacle whereby the amount of liquid permitted to pass therefrom to first mentioned receptacle is regulated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l hereunto aliix my signature.

GIARLES E. HENDRIX. 

